Pages

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Emotions…we all have them. Sometimes they leave us feeling
on top of the world and like life couldn’t get any better. Other days they make
us feel we have little more value than the dirt we walk upon. As I have studied
Scripture, I have come to understand something-we don’t have to let our crazy
girl emotions command us how to live. For example: have you ever told someone
“I’m feeling emotional today, so don’t get on my nerves”? I’m embarrassed to say that used to say this
to my family all the time. If we let our emotions take the wheel, I can promise
that our relationship with the Lord will no longer be our first priority;
slowly our focus begins to shift on to how we can get the “happy” or
“fulfilled” feeling. One thing we must know in life is that Satan often wants
us to compromise in one small way at a time (not necessarily a large jump, as
we might imagine), and that certainly applies to the way we control our
emotions.

Isaiah 43:1-3 says: “…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I
have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I
will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep
over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames
will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
your Savior…”

This verse is a wonderful reminder that the Lord is always
with us; through every emotional high and every emotional low; through each and
every season of life He remains completely faithful; therefore my excuse “I
cannot control my emotions!” is untrue. He goes with us and He wants us to
bring every aspect of our lives under His control.

In what ways in your own life have you allowed your emotions
to take command?

The quote below has been such an encouragement to me to keep
my eyes fixed on me Redeemer whenever my emotions seem to be out of hand-

“If you feel controlled by volatile emotions, pray
specifically for God to overtake your emotions and bring them under His
jurisdiction. Next time you are in a situation where you feel your emotions
flying off the handle, make a decision to slow down, walk in the other room if
needed, take a deep breath, and pray for His love, His attitude, and His
response to flow through your being. If you silence the voice of your screaming
emotions and tune in to the still, small voice of His spirit, gentle answers
will begin to replace angry ones...soon people will stop and take notice of the
unusual grace, beauty and nobility that emanates from your life. A woman who is
free from the tyranny of her own emotion is truly a sight to behold.” Leslie
Ludy

As the quote says; the next time you feel like your emotions
are out of your control, remember that they are not out of His control. He is
able to give us His response in every single situation in life. We will never
face anything in life that He is unable to use for good; every situation is
divinely appointed to us by our Heavenly King. It is my prayer that I will
always be able to keep my emotions in submission to his will. Would you be
willing to make that your prayer as well? Here are a few practical tips on
controlling those crazy emotions:

1. Breathe

I used to count to 10 all the time when I my emotions seemed
crazy. Sometimes just giving yourself ten seconds to cool off can make a huge
difference.

2. Hear them
out

If you are talking to someone who is making you upset, take
the humble position and politely listen to everything they have to say without
interrupting. Not only is this more gracious, it also helps you to really think
about what you are going to say in response.

3. Get alone
with the Lord

This is my number one tip for every problem you could ever
face. Everything is still under control, not your control, His. There have been
a few times I have just cried alone with Him and I can honestly tell you that
crying out to Him is far more comforting than crying it out to anyone else in the world. After all, He is
our Wonderful Counselor!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

“The water that I [Jesus] shall give him
will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
NKJV

Time for a heart check….

As a Christian woman; do you overflow with Christ’s love?
Does the way you act radiate with Christ-likeness?

Oswald Chambers has a great insight on this:

“The picture our Lord described here [in John 4:14] is not
that of

a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain. Continue to “be
filled” (Ephesians 5:18) and the sweetness of your vital relationship to Jesus
will flow as generously out of you as it had been given to you. If you find
that His life is not springing up as it should, you are to blame- something is
obstructing to flow…. We are to be fountains through which Jesus can flow as
‘rivers of living water’ in blessing to everyone.”

Is there anything in your life that is “obstructing the
flow” of living water in your life? There have certainly been times that I have
had to really evaluate my life, but beyond that; times that I have asked the
Lord to cleanse me of anything in me that would not be pleasing to Him
(shouldn’t we always be asking the Lord to do so?). In my own life, I have
found these things to hinder my relationship with the Lord:

• Not
spending enough time in His word and/or in prayer

How can I expect to be spiritually strong if I do not take
time for spiritual nourishment?

• “Hidden”
rebellion

Disrespecting parents or other authorities in “small” ways.

• Trying to
gain a certain reputation (pride)

Have any of these thoughts influenced you- “I want to seem
like that godly girl who is sweet, popular, and outgoing.”, “I need to act
smart around them.”, “If I dress like this, everyone will love me.”, “Posting
this selfie Facebook will totally get their attention.” Worldly thinking will
never produce the fruit of the spirit in our lives.

• Ungraciousness

Snappy remarks to a sibling who yelled at you, giving your
opinion to everyone all the time, acting like you deserve better than you have
received-are all examples of ungraciousness. Each one of us has fallen short of
the glory of God, yet He is willing to pardon every sin. We have been shown
grace in the most amazing way, will we not show grace to others?

Are you overflowing with Christ-likeness today? If not, what
is obstructing the flow?

Saturday, October 17, 2015

In our culture, it seems outward beauty always makes the "ten most important things every girl must have" list. Many women have become obsessed with having the most beautiful appearance, trendy clothes, and perfect hair. They would rather have a certain social status than think about their heart status. Webster's Dictionary defines beauty as: "Loveliness; good looks; pleasing, attractive person or thing." In contrast, how does God's word define beauty?

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment… Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

— 1 PETER 3:3-4

When we think of beauty, the latter definition should come to mind. This verse does not say it is wrong to look beautiful on the outside (God is the creator of outward beauty!), but it is a reminder that we need to have our mindset in check, as it was when God sent Samuel to select a new king over Israel - “When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’” David, the youngest guy in the family, who took care of the sheep, he was God’s choice for king.
Biblical beauty really isn’t about us at all - it’s about the incredible beauty of our Creator. He is the most beautiful of all, and He wants to shape us into His likeness, that we might be truly beautiful. As Charles Spurgeon once said: “If any soul has any such beauty... Christ has endowed that beloved soul with all its wealth of charms, for in ourselves we are deformed and defiled… There is no beauty in any of us but what our Lord has worked in us.”

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:

Do you define beauty as Scripture does?

Have you allowed beauty to become an idol in your life? When you’re headed to church, going to school, or driving to your friend’s house do you worry about being accepted by friends or others? If so, what steps should you take to change?

Do you base your opinion of others on what they wear or how they look?

Friday, September 25, 2015

Have plans for this weekend? I will be watching the True Woman 15' live stream, a ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I first met Nancy at a Revive Our Hearts Radio Show this past May and I LOVED it. It was so encouraging to listen to her teach. Nancy is in many ways the Elisabeth Elliot of our generation.

One of the things I am passionate about is teaching, and I have already learned a ton about leading women back to the word of God through this conference.
Here are some quotes from today's sessions:

"We must let God speak to us before we speak to others." Nancy Leigh DeMoss

You can see my tweet: "God does not give gifts that He does not
intend to use." (Jennifer Wilkin)

"God does not give gifts that He does not intend to use." Jennifer Wilkin

"Don't let your feeling of inadequacy and neediness keep you from doing what God has called you to do. If I loose my neediness, I loose my usefulness." Nancy

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Starting a blog has been on my heart for a while. It's not that I am an amazing writer or have something incredible to say, but I do serve an amazing God who works in incredible ways. I desire for this blog to be a record of His faithfulness in my life and hopefully be an encouragement to those who read it.

HELLO

My name is Cassidy Shooltz, thanks so much for stopping by! It is with immense joy that I can say "I belong to Jesus!" He has been completely faithful to me, and it is my prayer that each passing hour will be the avenue for knowing Him better. For many years C.T. Studd's words have rung loudly in my ears: "Only one life t'will soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last, and when I'm dying, how happy I'll be, if the lamp of my life was burned out for Thee." It is my hope that everything here on Let My Life Be a Light will lift your eyes to Jesus! :)

Translate

My Favorites

Followers

In Quotes

"The fair, new petals must fall and for no visible reason; no one seems enriched by the stripping. And the first step into the realm of giving is a like surrender. Not man-ward but God-ward; an utter yielding of our best. So long as our idea of surrender is limited to the renouncing of unlawful things, we have never grasped its true meaning. That is not worthy of the name, for no polluted thing can be offered."

~Lillias Trotter

"There is absolutely no excuse to stay where you are right now. If you are weak, He can make you strong. If you are timid, He can make you brave. If you are a pervert, he can make you pure. If you are selfish, He can make you selfless. If you are a shepherd, He can make you a king. If you are mediocre, He can make you a Mighty One of valor.... Jesus defeated every spiritual foe you and I will ever face before we ever even encounter them." Eric Ludy, Wrestling Prayer

"Purify the inmost desire of my heart." Amy Carmichael

"Lord, identify me with your death, until I know sin is dead in me." Oswald Chambers

"Until He is our all and all, we aren't truly living the Gospel life." Leslie Ludy

"Sanctification is impartation, not imitation." Oswald Chambers

"Your priorities must be God first, God second, God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever." Oswald Chambers